Effect of Organic Solvent on MWCNT-PDMS Nanocomposite Based Capacitive Pressure Sensors

In-spite of the recent advancements related to carbon nanotube (CNT) based sensors, dispersion of CNTs in a polymer matrix is still a challenge. In this work we propose to use organic solvents to pre-disperse CNTs before introducing them into the polymer matrix. The choice of the dispersion medium plays a vital role, not only for the dispersion quality but also for the sensitivity of the sensor itself. Five different solvents have been tested, characterized and compared based on the sensor capacitive response. The results show that tetrahydrofuran (THF) and isopropanol (ISO) have nearly the same sensitivity and hysteresis behavior, but THF shows a better reproducibility of the sensor.